Lemo Drop: My Bipolar RTA

[Trayce]

Got an authentic Lemo Drop a couple months back from a reputable US distributor. (Far as I know there aren't any clones anyway.) This has been my experience:

LOVE THIS THING!
(later that night)
HATE THIS THING! WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH IT?!
(post-futz, sometimes with a new build or wick)
OMG, LOVE THIS THING, HAFTA BUY ANOTHER!
(soon therafter with resistances jumping like quantum particles)
AM THROWING THIS *&^%$# OUT!
(post-futz redux)
LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!
... and so it goes....

I know other ppl are having the same problem. And the crazy thing is, it's not a rocket. There can only be very few causes. Yet....

1. screws are tight
2. have used screws and post holes for anchoring
3. builds are irrelevant as each one vapes great until it doesn't anymore
4. silicone o-ring placed under 510 pin even though it was slightly protruding
5. positive screw securely tightened into deck
6. wick not too short/thick/thin, or blocking juice channels

Here's the thing. After installing a coil I check the resistance on an OHM reader. Now if I put cotton in it, it reads higher by maybe .20. I tighten screws... can't feel there was any give to them. I place it on the IPV4S and set resistance. It reads high even if I didn't get the wick wet or put on the chimney. And b/c it reads high, the vape is off b/c the mod applies too much power and I get burned hits after a few pulls.

So now I HOPE I learned the trick... which is to build it, NOT put any cotton in it... put it on the IPV4S and set the resistance... THEN wick it... [and don't set it again after b/c it WILL be higher]. With the resistance set lower where it should be, the power TC supplies is correct. So far it's hitting great, but way too soon to say if this was the final key as I've thought I had it licked before.

When this thing is hitting good it's even better than a dripper. But when it starts getting dry hits or burned hits even though I've done everything for it but spin a prayer spool at Mt Everest... it's one big honkin' drag. My Kanger Subtank Mini (which I also love) is not nearly as finicky!

Anyone else set resistance prior to wicking for the Lemo Drop?? Or is that the way it's always supposed to be done regardless of the device?

 

[roxynoodle]

I think it does not get along with some 510s. I love my Lemo, but it owns the mod its on because its picky. I've never run it in tc because of that.

If what your doing is working, I say stick to it.

 

[VaPreis]

I currently have my Drop with a twisted nickel build on my Istick TC40...it's been pretty flawless. The only thing I can say that I'm doing differently is that I keep the adjustable 510 screw tight on the Lemo, with no o-ring to make it protrude. In the case of the TC40, that works well, and it makes a reliable connection. Obviously, that isn't going to work for every mod.

I am a TC newbie, but it seems to me that a consistent vape from TC is dependent on proper wick density. My tendency at first was to wick more loosely then I would a kanthal build so as not to distort the nickel. But if it's to loose, they seem to hit temp protection to quickly and the vape weakens. (and I hate that) I assume it's because the wick is drying out prematurely because of the lack of reserve in the wicking....just my inexperienced theory.

 

[c3scott]

Hate mine sorry all...510 POS. bottom fill nope. Bye bye eleaf

 

[c3scott]

Velocity rda vape Mail on the way for me and I have a magma rda. No problems other than over filling my juice wells on the magma. I'm gonna go to the dripping side and try to make my subtank mini work. I'm about done with tanks. I cringe when anyone recommends eleaf products. Junk and potentially dangerous products imo. Good for those of you who love them.

 

[roxynoodle]

Velocity rda vape Mail on the way for me and I have a magma rda. No problems other than over filling my juice wells on the magma. I'm gonna go to the dripping side and try to make my subtank mini work. I'm about done with tanks. I cringe when anyone recommends eleaf products. Junk and potentially dangerous products imo. Good for those of you who love them.

That's a little rough. I bought mine a year ago. I have many tanks (over 40 at this point), and the Lemo is still one of my favorites.

My 20W istick is almost a year old and still doing fine as well. As are my 3 50W ones from February.

Nope, I can't condemn Eleaf.

Unwanted Lemos are welcome at Roxy's.

 

[52anddone]

Velocity rda vape Mail on the way for me and I have a magma rda. No problems other than over filling my juice wells on the magma. I'm gonna go to the dripping side and try to make my subtank mini work. I'm about done with tanks. I cringe when anyone recommends eleaf products. Junk and potentially dangerous products imo. Good for those of you who love them.

Whenever I have problems I just think to myself, "Be smarter than the tank", and it works every time. Good luck on your quest.

 

[Trayce]

[...] I love my Lemo, but it owns the mod its on because its picky.[...]

I hear that! And realized when I am going to run into a problem next. (Because it's still vaping great this morning.) It's going to come after I switch devices, then come back to the Drop. When I come back to the Drop with this build that has been vaping so great, and set resistance again as I must at that time... the mod will set it high b/c the build will already be wicked. And that's why (am just putting this together!) it won't vape right anymore... until it's rebuilt again and I happen to set the resistance before wicking.

I bet the only way around this is to take it apart each time I switch back to it, remove the perfectly fine wick to set the resistance wickless... then install a new wick.

The way I WISH I could fix this is to manually set the resistance on the mod to what I know that coil is, instead of accepting what the mod will say it is [wicked]. Of course it's no big deal when building to set the resistance before wicking, but with Ni201 and Ti wire, a build can last a long time, as can an OC wick, especially in TC, so it's not convenient that the resistance will always read higher once wicked.

This IPV4S does have 5 memory settings where you can lock in parameters for different devices so that when you switch between them, you can just pick the associated memory bank, rather than re-setting everything. Problem is, it only saves those memory bank settings for power mode! Doesn't save them in TC mode!

But oddly, this isn't a problem for the Subtank Mini, which is the other main device I am switching between. I have a DIY tobacco extract in the Mini, and gunky coil/wick and all... setting the resistance is fine when I come back to it. Hm. It does have Ni201 vs the Ti I am using in the Drop.

[...]I am a TC newbie, but it seems to me that a consistent vape from TC is dependent on proper wick density.[...]

Thanks and FTR I am also new to TC and yes, wicking is def a big factor, and have to take into consideration how thick/thin your juice is when wicking too. That said, the Lemo is the only device I use that has been so temperamental that my normal course of doing things isn't enough. But maybe I'm on the right track here... though it doesn't make a lot of sense that the Lemo reads high after wicking but the Mini is fine setting resistance wicked.

Velocity rda vape Mail on the way for me [...] I'm gonna go to the dripping side and try to make my subtank mini work. I'm about done with tanks.[...]

Have a Velocity clone and love it, especially for mixing flavors and trying them out. But nothing beats a tank for convenience, esp if it has great flavor and blows the clouds. If you have a new Kanger Subtank Mini, you should be very happy. I love mine... it's flawless. For me the Drop and Mini are neck and neck in vaping satisfaction, even though they each have their own unique qualities. The Kanger has a little more going for it imo, in that it is not temperamental and you don't use a tiny hole to fill it.

(Thanks to 52anddone for the good luck wishes.)

 

[Highwayman1224]

If you use the rubber plug they give you then it takes all of 30 seconds to unplug, fill & plug.

Hate mine sorry all...510 POS. bottom fill nope. Bye bye eleaf

 

[roxynoodle]

If you use the rubber plug they give you then it takes all of 30 seconds to unplug, fill & plug.

Mine never came with any, but I can still do it in 30s. That skirt is helpful as I can capture the screw and have it back in in maybe 10s at most. It also fills very fast compared to some of my other tanks. I consider the filling a non issue.

 

[Trayce]

Mine came with the rubber plug o-ring and while I don't consider it much of a detractor, it is certainly easier to fill the Kanger Subtank Mini. Other advantage of the KSTM is when you take it apart at least some liquid can be retained in the tank. I don't care as I DIY my ejuices but for those who vape expensive stuff, they might not appreciate that taking the Lemo Drop apart to re-wick or mess with the build will mean losing their ejuice. Especially for newbies who might be learning how to build and wick and need to take it apart frequently. (Not that you don't lose juice with the KSTM too, but you retain some, unlike with the Drop.)

PS I say all this as a big Lemo Drop fan, so am not trying to put down the Drop. It probably has a little more flavor delivery than the KSTM imo too. And the build deck on the LD is very easy.

 

[roxynoodle]

I've had to empty mine maybe twice. Both times I stuck the plastic needle bottle tip into the fill hole and it drained very nicely. So no juice loss . Just squeeze some air from the bottle, stick it in and it will go quite well.

 

[Trayce]

I've had to empty mine maybe twice. Both times I stuck the plastic needle bottle tip into the fill hole and it drained very nicely. So no juice loss . Just squeeze some air from the bottle, stick it in and it will go quite well.

Good idea, but you only had to drain it twice? What about when you build? You've only built it twice?

 

[roxynoodle]

Good idea, but you only had to drain it twice? What about when you build? You've only built it twice?

No, I vape it to empty like every other day. Then I give it all a quick rinse, and rewick. I recoil about every 4 weeks.

 

[Trayce]

No, I vape it to empty like every other day. Then I give it all a quick rinse, and rewick. I recoil about every 4 weeks.

Ah. Well a few hrs ago I went to add some liquid to my Drop and actually could see how some ppl might like this design for filling more than the KSTM, so I withdraw my earlier statement that the KSTM is easier. Some might not think so, as one could argue it's 'less messy' to fill the Drop. Like most other things it's subjective. As I've stated many times, I love both tanks and don't find either to have anything objectionable about them, except for said weirdness of the Drop, which started this thread. But 24hrs later, it's still vaping great --

-- of course I have not taken it off the mod. So no need to reset the resistance yet...

 

[c3scott]

Well I think I fried the insulator when the ohms jumped to lord knows what because of my 510 pin. Go take a hit off that when you don't know where it's gonna be because of that pin. I have searched for replacement peek insulators for the lemo. I has the same bad taste no matter what I do therefore I think the insulator is fried. If someone knows where I can get one kindly let me know. I will conquer my subtank as it is much better imo. At least the 510 isn't garbage and replacement parts are available. My 2 cents

 

[roxynoodle]

I only have 3 good tc mods. And a few demonic, crappy DNA40s that I don't consider tc mods

So I'll be perfectly happy to leave my Lemo as a kanthal atty.

 

[c3scott]

I was probably a bit harsh but eleaf not for me. I still use my 20w istick as needed but that's gonna be gone as well.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well I think I fried the insulator when the ohms jumped to lord knows what because of my 510 pin. Go take a hit off that when you don't know where it's gonna be because of that pin. I have searched for replacement peek insulators for the lemo. I has the same bad taste no matter what I do therefore I think the insulator is fried. If someone knows where I can get one kindly let me know. I will conquer my subtank as it is much better imo. At least the 510 isn't garbage and replacement parts are available. My 2 cents

Check evcigarettes.com. if they don't have one, make one. I've done that a few times.

As for the 510, keep it screwed in. Mine doesn't jump around, but I do use it on a mod that has a stable 510. I think a year ago I did use it on my old ipv1 without any issues though.

 

[roxynoodle]

I was probably a bit harsh but eleaf not for me. I still use my 20w istick as needed but that's gonna be gone as well.

A lot of people have had trouble with the isticks. They aren't exactly high end mods. But, I have a 20W, 3 50W and 2 100W, and so far they are all fine. The 100Ws are new so I can't say how good or bad they will turn out to be. I honestly didn't think my 20W would still be chugging along at this point. Every 8 weeks or so it freaks out. I turn it off for the night, and then its back to normal in the morning, lol! So I keep thinking it croaked, but nope, just had a little wigout.